How to Be Happy • Hacker News Board

Re: How to Be Happy

#111

Post by vertex-four » Sun, Jul 20, 2014, 5:27 PM UTC

JamesArgo wrote: post #64

Jweb_Guru wrote: post #10

Just for those of you who aren't aware, LessWrong is a site devoted to the cult of the "singularity." The site founder, Eliezer Yudkowsky, is a secular humanist who is probably most well-known for his Harry Potter fanfiction, "Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality." His core beliefs include that the obvious goal of the human race is immortality, that it is justifiable to kill a man if it would remove a spec of…

I do not understand why there are so many haters of LessWrong. It's not a cult. No one on that site has ever bought into the Roko idea. Also, Roko's post is poorly explained there. However, everyone thought it was nonsense at the time and still does. Imagine if the most inane nonsense posted to hacker news was used to dismiss everyone who posts here. As for nanotechnology. It is possible - biology is a proof of that…

> I do not understand why there are so many haters of LessWrong.

A lot of us have ended up in places where they have tried to force their beliefs on us (a huge one being "debate is always the correct way to understand things, and is never inappropriate in any situation ever" - the concept of, say, cooperative discussion, or even caring about people's emotions and sense of self, seems to have never occurred to any of them that I have met).

It's rather understandable that many would see them as a cult, given the religious fervour that many of them have in forcing their beliefs on others.

Re: How to Be Happy

#112

Post by n09n » Sun, Jul 20, 2014, 5:29 PM UTC

woodchuck64 wrote: post #80

coldtea wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Singularity idiots?

Is there an argument to be made why artificial intelligence that surpasses human intelligence is not a problem for the human race?

Probably the same argument that human intelligence that surpasses feline intelligence is not a problem for domestic housecats.

Re: How to Be Happy

#113

Post by goldenkey » Sun, Jul 20, 2014, 5:32 PM UTC

adamzerner wrote: post #76

awakened wrote: post #73

"The only correct view is the absence of all views." - thich nhat hanh We are unhappy when we assign reasons to people's actions or words. When we think that others say or do things because they are "out to get me". That is a view and that is an incorrect view that will lead to all sorts of unhappiness and discontent in your life. Get rid of all of your views. Some things just happen. There is no grand plan. "Do you…

You're making a lot of absolute statements. I sense that a lot of these things depend on the situation, rather than are always true. Reversing stupidity isn't intelligence.

I doubt he will reply to your comment given that the philosophy makes sense merely by practice. I do think keeping out of mud is a good idea, because mud sticks.

Re: How to Be Happy

#114

Post by onetimeusename » Sun, Jul 20, 2014, 5:33 PM UTC

dominotw wrote: post #79

Can someone tell me how this 'cult of happiness' started in western culture. The obsession with happiness is so pervasive and absurd that people are depressed because they are not happy 24x7 not because of a personal tragedy. Why is some vaguely defined happiness sold as some holy grail that must be achieved at all costs. There are billion dollar industries built around selling happiness ( fashion industry, fitness i…

In the article, the writer mentioned he is rarely unhappy for more than 20 minutes. I don't understand this. Happiness is a result of something that is good and sadness is a result of something being bad. Emotions have a purpose. Emotions are not some sort of primitive remnant from prehistoric times we need to overcome. It's as if because of science we can now see what is good and what is bad and remove the bad emotions like they had no reason or purpose.

Re: How to Be Happy

#115

Post by noname123 » Sun, Jul 20, 2014, 5:36 PM UTC

I'm happiest when I'm seeking out and feeding off all sorts of misery, schadenfreude of others' failures, absurdity, ennui, existential guilt, jealousy of others' success, fear of missing of out, fear of growing old, sexual frustration, impotence of metaphorical and of the limpy kind, the haze and alcohol/drug induced dependency, anxiety of status.

I get angry and anxious reading my Facebook updates about weekend adventures that I wasn't part of, LinkedIn updates about undeserving acquaintances climbing the ladder higher than where I'm. I proceed to then practice mindful meditation to be fully conscious of my human nature to practice the dual art of sour grapes (e.g., "Going to law school given all of the articles I read is not worth it nowadays") and rationalization (e.g., "They may be richer, but I'm happier... as a maker."). Then I realize what a worthless person I'm but self-worthless transforms into the joy of masochism.

I overeat, overdrink, stay up late, sleep in, skip out of work, act out, make inappropriate propositions to friends or strangers when inebriated. Nursing the bad hangover the morning after, I pat myself in the back for getting free therapy sessions from unwilling acquaintances and for my courage to let myself go to practice authenticity.

Re: How to Be Happy

#116

Post by goldenkey » Sun, Jul 20, 2014, 5:37 PM UTC

davidrusu wrote: post #102

jqm wrote: post #77

My dog is probably one of the happiest creatures I know. But he can't get his own dinner and I have to take him out to poop. If everyone was happy all the time we would probably still live in caves because there wouldn't have been the struggle that brings us to where we are. This in my opinion may be why religion correlates with happiness. For the very same reason lobotomized people might be happy. Do you want to be…

Cynicism is not the driving force of innovation, optimism is. It is possible to be happy and rational.

Maybe not so relevant but I imagine that most crazy scientists are happy and that leads to optimism in their ideas despite outside attacks on their research. I suppose happiness can be somewhat like armor against slander

Re: How to Be Happy

#117

Post by mseebach » Sun, Jul 20, 2014, 5:40 PM UTC

carlosdp wrote: post #91

chippy wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"the pursuit of happiness" is right there in the US Declaration of Independence. The country holds that the pursuit of happiness as an unalienable right.

That's a straw man though. The "pursuit of happiness" in the Declaration is just fancy phrasing for what was originally the "right to own property". It was changed by Jefferson before the Declaration was finished because of some philosophical points from John Locke [1]. [1] http://hnn.us/article/46460

That's not even close to what "straw man" means. And even if it was, the mechanics of how and why the language ended up as it did is largely irrelevant compared to the fact of what the language actually is.

The GPs hypothesis is perfectly reasonable, indeed in the very article you link to:

> The “pursuit of happiness” has led its own life in popular culture.

Now, it's difficult to say if there would be the same focus on happiness in the culture if the phrase has been "property" but that certainly doesn't invalidate the hypothesis.

Re: How to Be Happy

#118

Post by [deleted] » Sun, Jul 20, 2014, 5:42 PM UTC

noname123 wrote: post #115

I'm happiest when I'm seeking out and feeding off all sorts of misery, schadenfreude of others' failures, absurdity, ennui, existential guilt, jealousy of others' success, fear of missing of out, fear of growing old, sexual frustration, impotence of metaphorical and of the limpy kind, the haze and alcohol/drug induced dependency, anxiety of status. I get angry and anxious reading my Facebook updates about weekend adv…

[deleted]

Re: How to Be Happy

#119

Post by pajju » Sun, Jul 20, 2014, 5:44 PM UTC

To be happy

1. Be like Water. Keep your mind like Water. Stateless. Formless. Keep flowing like water. Don't settle & Stop.

http://soopara.com/being-water-be-water-my-friend-be-water-b...

2. Fall in love with yourself more than anyone else.

Fall in love with your Passion, it already knows everything about you.

3. Try to Know Everything about your Previous life(life's).

Thus, know the purpose of your life & connect those dots. Get closer to your niche & Life purpose.

4. Surround yourself with Right people.

5. Be in a place(Create that place) for yourself, where you got more freedom & autonomy to think and live.

6. Finally to be happy, be happy, create Good, great & positive thoughts always.

What we think, we become. Its that simple!

Our thoughts = Key Life Formula.

Re: How to Be Happy

#120

Post by jqm » Sun, Jul 20, 2014, 5:47 PM UTC

davidrusu wrote: post #102

jqm wrote: post #77

My dog is probably one of the happiest creatures I know. But he can't get his own dinner and I have to take him out to poop. If everyone was happy all the time we would probably still live in caves because there wouldn't have been the struggle that brings us to where we are. This in my opinion may be why religion correlates with happiness. For the very same reason lobotomized people might be happy. Do you want to be…

Cynicism is not the driving force of innovation, optimism is. It is possible to be happy and rational.

I don't disagree with either statement.

But if there isn't a problem in the first place there can't be a solution. And if you don't see the problem because you are busy "being positive" then you can't work on it.

I look at it like this... motion comes from polarity. Yin and Yang. Male and Female. Happiness and Misery. Just my opinion.

And yes... I find the cult of constant happiness a bit annoying and superficial. I do think it is good for people to be happy __most of the time... I'm happy most of the time, but I'm not happy all the time and neither is anyone else. Nor should they be unless they are mental patients or animals. That's my point.